Penelope Perfect: The truly terrible mistake by Chrissie Perry

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Hardie Grant Egmont, 2016. ISBN 9781760120276
Penelope Kingston (aka Penelope Perfect) has made a terrible mistake. When she answered the questions on the maths test, she missed five of them on the back of the page!! Not only does that mean she might not get an A on her report card (and thus the admiration and another $20 from her absent father) but she has also received the same mark as Joanna, the 'naughty girl' in the class who is much more adept at blowing spitballs than academics. Penelope is devastated, especially when Ms Pike refuses to let her take the test again!
But she sees a way to redeem her grades (which seem to be her motivation and on which her entire self-worth is based) through excelling in the drama competition instead. In fact she has already written a play that will put them ahead of the other groups, but then her drama teacher Mr Salmon mixes up the groups and instead of her usual crew, Penelope now has Joanna in her group - and Joanna most definitely has her own ideas!
Penelope turns to her beloved grandfather for advice - as she often does, particularly when she feels the loud, bossy, angry twin of her Gemini personality rising - and he gives her the cryptic message to 'colour outside the lines'. So will she be able to work as a team member and shine in the play or will her wilfulness and need to be perfect (in her eyes) destroy all her relationships? Is even her new best friend Bob deserting her?
Barbara Braxton

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